4.3 Meet the Team: Bobby

A Team

We’re repeating a conversation from our first season so you can get to know Bobby, our sound designer. Bobby was a listener whom we invited to chat with Rafael and Robert, and he then volunteered to make us sound better than we do in real life. In this conversation, we talk about knowing that you’re different and not knowing why, emotional labor, growing up without peers, the power of hyperfocus, melting down, and a couple of life hacks.

To listen to Bobby's songs, go to https://open.spotify.com/playlist/59VlLUag1hbDtkQLf3oNCg?si=12744afd1f714c7b

5:00 the wonders of the internet
6:38 Bobby’s diagnosis disclosure

8:50 seeing ASD as normal, just a difference

9:50 stimming jokes

9:55 what makes disclosing difficult: emotional labor

12:14 free diagnosis with Vanderbilt University, particularly interested in self-diagnosed adults.

Vanderbilt Autism Resource Line - TRIAD Autism Services in Tennessee

12:55 nuanced difference between self-diagnosis and official diagnosis

13:38 WebMD

WebMD

13:47 General Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

14:31 Autistic Overload

Sensory Overload: Symptoms, Causes, Related Conditions, and More

15:30 Introductions

16:40 Self-diagnosis & the difficulties of finding someone to do the diagnosis

19:28 Autistic experience

21:48 what led to Bobby’s self-diagnosis at 16

27:00 Bobby’s system of tracking NT behaviors

29:00 Being different and not knowing why

29:26 autistic children grow up without peers

30:45 When did autism speak its name to you?

31:35 The room one kids/RainMan

35:45: Bobby “I’m just young for my brain.”

36:00 Jimmi comes into the scene/healthy Jimmi break

37:25 Pandemic effects on us/love of being alone

39:32 hit a wall/meltdown

42:42 Big Warm Hug

43:02 clip/quote Bobby

43:20 journaling and songwriting about the pain of autism

44:05 the pain of not liking who you are is awful

47:30 hyperfocus is a powerful tool

49:00 what’s beautiful about autism

49:33 life hack: reading lips

52:23 life hack: make music & harmonize with vocal melodies of others; jazz conversation

53:22 synesthesia

Synesthesia: Definition, Examples, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

55:50 metaphors

57:55 thinking in systems

1:01:32 what was it like to let go of resistance to identifying as autistic

1:05:05 autism and OCD behaviors

Is There a Link Between OCD and Autism?

1:08:03 Robert: It’s painful to be working in a bad system.

1:10:40 The Green Knight

The Green Knight (2021) - IMDb

1:12:50 autistics love to think and learn

1:13:55 Documentary about intuition: InnSaei - The power of intuition

Watch InnSaei: The Power in Intuition | Prime Video

1:21:32 Curiosity

1:24:14 intuition and problem-solving skills

1:25:04 having to explain how&